Plant Inventory and Taxonomic Classification of Spermatophyta in a University Campus Ecosystem

Understanding plant diversity in semi-managed ecosystems is essential for biodiversity conservation and environmental education. This study aims to inventory and classify Spermatophyta species within two university campus sites and analyze their taxonomic composition and distribution patterns. An exploratory descriptive method was employed through field observations, documentation, and morphological identification of plant species. The collected data were classified taxonomically from kingdom to species level and analyzed descriptively. The results revealed a total 30 plant species belonging to both Gymnospermae and Angiospermae, with Angiospermae being the dominant group. Monocotyledonae were primarily represented by Arecaceae and Asparagaceae, while Dicotyledonae showed higher diversity across families such as Euphorbiaceae, Apocynaceae, Myrtaceae, and Sapindaceae. Campus 3 exhibited greater species richness compared to Campus 1, reflecting differences in landscape management and plant utilization. Functional analysis indicated the presence of ornamental, fruit-bearing, medicinal, and shade plants, highlighting the multifunctional role of campus vegetation. These findings demonstrate that university campuses function as important microhabitats for plant diversity and provide valuable resources for ecological studies and biology education. The study contributes to urban biodiversity knowledge and supports the integration of field-based learning in plant taxonomy.

plant diversity; Spermatophyta; taxonomy; campus biodiversity; plant inventory

1. Aneklaphakij, C., Bunsupa, S., Sirichamorn, Y., Bongcheewin, B., & Satitpatipan, V. (2020). Taxonomic Notes on the ‘Mahat’ (Artocarpus lacucha and A. thailandicus, Moraceae) Species Complex in Thailand. Plants, 9(3), 391. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9030391 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Arjona, J., Ibáñez‐Álamo, J., & Sanllorente, O. (2023). Mediterranean university campuses enhance butterfly (Lepidoptera) and beetle (Coleoptera) diversity. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1130557 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Borsch, T., Berendsohn, W., Dalcin, E., Delmas, M., Demissew, S., Elliott, A., … & Zamora, N. (2020). World Flora Online: Placing taxonomists at the heart of a definitive and comprehensive global resource on the world's plants. Taxon, 69(6), 1311-1341. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12373 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Deng, M., Lin, L., Liu, L., Huang, S., Tu, Y., Lu, Z., … & Huang, J. (2024). Quercus zhekunii M.Deng & J.Huang, a new sclerophyllous oak from Guangxi, southwest China. Nordic Journal of Botany, 2025(6). https://doi.org/10.1111/njb.04512 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Gallagher, R., Allen, S., Govaerts, R., Rivers, M., Allen, A., Keith, D., Adams, V. (2023). Global shortfalls in threat assessments for endemic flora by country. Plants People Planet, 5(6), 885-898. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10369 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Giao, N. and Truong, D. (2024). Evaluating the Importance of Ecosystem Services in University Campus. Civil Engineering Journal, 10(1), 234-248. https://doi.org/10.28991/cej-2024-010-01-015 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Gomes‐da‐Silva, J., Lughadha, E., & Forzza, R. (2025). Protecting hidden treasures: Indigenous lands safeguard 50% of areas with the highest potential for angiosperm discoveries in Brazil—patterns and conservation priorities. Plos One, 20(7), e0326507. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0326507 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Greene, A., Teixidor‐Toneu, I., & Odonne, G. (2023). To Pick or Not to Pick: Photographic Voucher Specimens as an Alternative Method to Botanical Collecting in Ethnobotany. Journal of Ethnobiology, 43(1), 44-56. https://doi.org/10.1177/02780771231162190 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Gristina, E., Barone, G., Domina, G., Badalamenti, E., Gargano, M., Venturella, G., Pardi, R. (2025). A Checklist of the Ornamental Vascular Flora of Sicily. Plants, 14(5), 795. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14050795 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Hasan, R., Yeo, L., Othmani, N., Mohamed, S., Awang, A., & Aziz, N. (2023). Improving Campus Sustainability and Resilience by Selecting Climate - Appropriate Plants. Bio Web of Conferences, 73, 03006. https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/20237303006 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Hochkirch, A., Samways, M., Gerlach, J., Böhm, M., Williams, P., Cardoso, P., … & Dijkstra, K. (2020). A strategy for the next decade to address data deficiency in neglected biodiversity. Conservation Biology, 35(2), 502-509. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13589 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Indrawan, M., Setyawan, A., Nazar, I., Sunarto, S., Wahyuni, T., Himawan, W., … & Chairunisa, S. (2025). Tree Community at the GOS of 45 Banjarsari Monument and the GOS of TMP, Surakarta, Central Java. Iop Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science, 1438(1), 012062. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1438/1/012062 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Khan, S., Sultana, S., Hossain, G., Shetu, S., & Rahim, A. (2021). Floristic composition of Jahangirnagar University Campus - A semi-natural area of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy, 28(1), 27-60. https://doi.org/10.3329/bjpt.v28i1.54207 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Kimpouni, V., Ghislain, B., Chaîph, M., Piccard, M., & Charmes-Maïdet, M. (2023). Floristic Diversity of the Trees of Street Alignment and Concern of the Populations in Brazzaville. AFF. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aff.20231203.12 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Lahoti, S., Lahoti, A., Joshi, R., & Saitô, O. (2020). Vegetation Structure, Species Composition, and Carbon Sink Potential of Urban Green Spaces in Nagpur City, India. Land, 9(4), 107. https://doi.org/10.3390/land9040107 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Lee, S., Park, W., Lee, S., Lee, J., Son, Y., & Yoon, T. (2025). Tree mapping and carbon inventory on a university campus in South Korea: Case study and global review. Ecosphere, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70118 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Liang, C., Liu, J., Pan, B., Wang, N., Yang, J., Gui-sheng, Y., … & Feng, G. (2020). Precipitation is the dominant driver for bird species richness, phylogenetic and functional structure in university campuses in northern China. Avian Research, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-020-00212-x [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Marín‐Rodulfo, M., Rondinel‐Mendoza, K., Girela, I., Cañadas, E., & Lorite, J. (2024). Old meets new: Innovative and evolving uses of herbaria over time as revealed by a literature review. Plants People Planet, 6(6), 1261-1271. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10541 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Rehem, B., Dantas, M., Nascimento, S., Freitas, E., Silva, L., & Paixão, J. (2020). Native And Exotic Species of Economically Used Plants in The Southern Bahia Atlantic Forest Region. Brazilian Journal of Development, 6(8), 59417-59432. https://doi.org/10.34117/bjdv6n8-384 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Serret, H., Andersen, D., Deguines, N., Clauzel, C., Park, W., & Jang, Y. (2022). Towards Ecological Management and Sustainable Urban Planning in Seoul, South Korea: Mapping Wild Pollinator Habitat Preferences and Corridors Using Citizen Science Data. Animals, 12(11), 1469. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12111469 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Singh, R., Tiwari, A., Kumar, S., & Singh, G. (2024). Avifaunal Diversity in Managed Urban Ecosystem: A Case Study of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Ecological Questions, 35(3), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.12775/eq.2024.038 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Singh, S., Singh, B., Surmal, O., Bhat, M., Singh, B., & Musarella, C. (2021). Fragmented Forest Patches in the Indian Himalayas Preserve Unique Components of Biodiversity: Investigation of the Floristic Composition nd Phytoclimate of the Unexplored Bani Valley. Sustainability, 13(11), 6063. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116063 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Susilowati, A., Rangkuti, A., Rachmat, H., Iswanto, A., Harahap, M., Elfiati, D., Ginting, I. (2021). Maintaining tree biodiversity in urban communities on the university campus. Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 22(5). https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d220548 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Talal, M. and Santelmann, M. (2019). Plant Community Composition and Biodiversity Patterns in Urban Parks of Portland, Oregon. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00201 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Ullah, F., Gao, Y., Jiao, R., & Gao, X. (2021). Comparative taxonomic variation in fruits and seeds' surface morphology among populations of alpine Rosa sericea complex (Rosaceae). Microscopy Research and Technique, 84(10), 2337-2350. https://doi.org/10.1002/jemt.23788 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Vázquez‐Ramírez, J. (2025). Unexpected consequences of taxonomic misidentification for the conservation of an endangered species. Conservation Science and Practice, 7(12). https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70180 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Victor, J., Klopper, R., Winter, P., & Roux, M. (2024). The plant checklist: Building the foundation of botanical knowledge in South Africa. Taxon, 73(4), 943-948. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.13169 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Villaseñor, J. and Meave, J. (2022). Floristics in Mexico today: insights into a better understanding of biodiversity in a megadiverse country. Botanical Sciences, 100(Special), S14-S33. https://doi.org/10.17129/botsci.3050 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Votsi, N., Speyer, O., Michailidou, D., Koukoulis, A., Chatzidiakos, C., Vandecasteele, I Gerasopoulos, E. (2024). Urban Biodiversity Index for Trees: A Climate Adaptation Measure for Cities Based on Tree Inventories. Environments, 11(7), 144. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11070144 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Vourlitis, G., Veen, E., Cangahuala, S., Jaeger, G., Jensen, C., Fissore, C.& Meyer, W. (2022). Examining Decomposition and Nitrogen Mineralization in Five Common Urban Habitat Types across Southern California to Inform Sustainable Landscaping. Urban Science, 6(3), 61. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci6030061 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Wang, X., Liu, J., Liang, C., Zhao, Z., Feng, G., & Zhang, J. (2021). Biodiversity dataset of vascular plants and birds in Chinese urban greenspace. Ecological Research, 36(4), 755-761. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12240 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Winkler, J., Jeznach, J., Koda, E., Sas, W., Mazur, Ł., & Vaverková, M. (2022). Promoting Biodiversity: Vegetation in a Model Small Park Located in the Research and Educational Centre. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 23(1), 146-157. https://doi.org/10.12911/22998993/143997 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. Yadav, P. (2025). Assessment of Urban Green Space for Optimizing Ecosystem Services Related to Climate Change Adaptation. Environmental Quality Management, 35(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.70236 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. Yerokhin, S., Feuer, Y., & Sassen, R. (2024). Biodiversity preservation in German higher education institutions: existing approaches, challenges and future developments. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 26(4), 717-734. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe-12-2023-0608 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. Zaman, W., Lee, E., & Park, S. (2024). Endemic species analysis: Foliar epidermal anatomical characters of Aster glehnii F. Schmidt (Asteraceae). Microscopy Research and Technique, 87(7), 1640-1646. https://doi.org/10.1002/jemt.24547 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. Zhu, Z., Harris, A., Nizamani, M., Thornhill, A., Scherson, R., & Wang, H. (2021). Spatial phylogenetics of the native woody plant species in Hainan, China. Ecology and Evolution, 11(5), 2100-2109. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7180 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. Muggia, L., Pérez-Ortega, S., Fryday, A., Spribille, T. & Grube, M. 2013. Global assessment of genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity in the lichen-forming species Tephromela atra. Fungal Diversity 64: 233–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-013-0271-4 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. Muñoz, J., Felicísimo, Á. M., Cabezas, F., Burgaz, A. R. & Martínez, I. 2004. Wind as a long-distance dispersal vehicle in the Southern Hemisphere. Science 304: 1144–1147. https://doi.org/10.1126/ science.1095210 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

39. Naciri, Y. & Linder, H. P. 2015. Species delimitation and relation-ships: The dance of the seven veils. Taxon 64: 3–16. https://doi. org/10.12705/641.24 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

40. Naciri, Y. & Linder, H. P. 2020. The genetics of evolutionary radia-tions. Biological Reviews 95: 1055–1072. https://doi.org/10.1111/ brv.12598 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

41. Nadel, M. R. A. & Clerc, P. 2022. Notes on the genus Usnea Adans. (lichenized Ascomycota, Parmeliaceae) from the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe in tropical West Africa. The Lichenologist 54: 271–289. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282922000238 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

42. Nayaka, S., Upreti, D. K. & Bajpai, R. 2009. Diversity and adaptive response of lichens in Antarctica. In: Sridhar, K. R. (ed.), Frontiers in fungal ecology, diversity and metabolites, pp. 107–123. IK Inter-national Publishing House Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi, India. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

43. Nishimura, D. 2000. Sequence Analysis Star. Science 287: 453–454. Ohmura, Y. 2001. Taxonomic study of the genus Usnea (lichenized Ascomycetes) in Japan and Taiwan. Journal of the Hattori Botanical Laboratory 90: 1–96. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

44. Ohmura, Y. 2012. A synopsis of the lichen genus Usnea (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota) in Taiwan. Memoirs of the National Museum of Nature and Science 48: 91–137. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

45. Ohmura, Y. 2014. Usnea flavocardia (Parmeliaceae, lichenized Asco-mycota) new to Asia. Bulletin of the National Museum of Nature and Science 40: 69–72. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

46. Otálora, M. A., Jørgensen, P. M. & Wedin, M. 2014. A revised generic classification of the jelly lichens, Collemataceae. Fungal Diversity 64: 275–293. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-013-0266-1 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

47. Penn, O., Privman, E., Ashkenazy, H., Landan, G., Graur, D. & Pupko, T. 2010. GUIDANCE: a web server for assessing alignment confi-dence scores. Nucleic Acids Research 38: W23–W28. https://doi. org/10.1093/nar/gkq443 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

48. Pérez-Ortega, S., Fernández-Mendoza, Raggio, F. J., Vivas, M. & As-caso, C. 2012. Extreme phenotypic variation in Cetraria aculeata (lichenized Ascomycota): adaptation or incidental modification? An-nals of Botany 109: 1133–1148. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcs042 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

49. Pintado, A., Valladares, F. & Sancho, L. G. 1997. Exploring pheno-typic plasticity in the lichen Ramalina capitata: morphology, water relations and chlorophyll content in north- and south-facing pop-ulations. Annals of Botany 80: 345–353. https://doi.org/10.1006/ anbo.1997.0453 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

50. Printzen, C. 2009. Lichen Systematics: The role of morphological and molecular data to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships. In: Lüttge, U. et al. (eds), Progress in Botany 71, pp. 233–275. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg 2010. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02167-1_10 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

51. Rambaut, A. 2017. FigTree-version 1.4.3, a graphical viewer of phylo-genetic trees. Computer program distributed by the author, website: http://tree.bio.ed.ac.uk/software/figtree [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

52. Rambaut, A., Drummond, A. J., Xie, D., Baele, G. & Suchard, M. A. 2018. Posterior summarization in Bayesian phylogenetics using Tracer 1.7. Systematic Biology 67: 901–904. https://doi.org/10.1093/ sysbio/syy032 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

53. Räsänen, V. 1936. Collationes ad lichenologiam Chilensem pertinentes. Revista Universitaria 21: 137–148. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

54. Rodriguez, J. M., Estrabou, C., Truong, C. & Clerc, P. 2011. The saxic-olous species of the genus Usnea subgenus Usnea (Parmeliaceae) in Argentina and Uruguay. The Bryologist 114: 504–525. https:// doi.org/10.1639/0007-2745-114.3.504 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

55. Rosenberg, N. A. 2003. The shape of neutral gene genealogies in two species: probabilities o monophyly, paraphyly, and polyphyly in a coalescent model. Evolution 57: 1465–1477. https://doi. org/10.1111/j.0014-3820.2003.tb00355.x [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

56. Rundel, P. W. 1978. Ecological relationships of desert fog zone lichens. The Bryologist 81: 277–293. https://doi.org/10.2307/3242189 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

57. Saag, L., Tõrra, T., Saag, A., Del-Prado, R. & Randlane, T. 2011. Phylogenetic relations of European shrubby taxa of the genus Usnea. The Lichenologist 43: 427–444. https://doi.org/10.1017/ S0024282911000375 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

58. Spribille, T., Resl, P., Ahti, T., Pérez-Ortega, S., Tønsberg, T., Mayrhofer, H. & Lumbsch, H. T. 2014. Molecular systematics of the wood-inhabiting, lichen-forming genus Xylographa (Baeomyce-tales, Ostropomycetidae) with eight new species. Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. Symbolae botanicae Upsalienses 37: 1–87. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

59. Stevens, G. N. 1999. A revision of the lichen family Usneaceae in Australia. Bibliotheca Lichenologica 72: 1–128. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

60. Swinscow, T. D. V. & Krog, H. 1978. Pendulous species of Usnea in East Africa. Norwegian Journal of Botany 25: 221–241. https:// doi.org/10.1017/S0024282911000375 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

61. Truong, C. & Clerc, P. 2012. The lichen genus Usnea (Parmeliaceae) in tropical South America: species with a pigmented medulla, reacting C+ yellow. The Lichenologist 44: 625–637. https://doi.org/10.1017/ S0024282912000400 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

62. Truong, C. & Clerc, P. 2013. Eumitrioid Usnea species (Parmelia-ceae, lichenized Ascomycota) in tropical South America and the Galapagos. The Lichenologist 45: 83–395. https://doi.org/10.1017/ S0024282912000904 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

63. Truong, C. & Clerc, P. 2016. New species and new records in the genus Usnea (Parmeliaceae, lichenized Ascomycota) from tropical South America. The Lichenologist 48: 71–93. https://doi.org/10.1017/ S0024282915000419 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

64. Truong, C., Bungartz, F. & Clerc, P. 2011. The lichen genus Usnea (Parmeliaceae) in the tropical Andes and the Galapagos: species with a red-orange cortical or subcortical pigmentation. The Bry-ologist 114: 477–503. https://doi.org/10.1639/0007-2745-114.3.477 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

65. Truong, C., Divakar, P. K., Yahr, R., Crespo, A. & Clerc, P. 2013a. Test-ing the use of ITS rDNA and protein-coding genes in the generic and species delimitation of the lichen genus Usnea (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 68: 357–372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2013.04.005 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

66. Truong, C, Rodriguez, J. M. & Clerc, P. 2013b. Pendulous Usnea species (Parmeliaceae, lichenized Ascomycota) in tropical South America and the Galapagos. The Lichenologist 45: 505–543. https://doi. org/10.1017/S0024282913000133 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

67. Vondrák, J., Soun, Y., Søgaard, M. Z., Søchting, U. & Arup, U. 2010. Caloplaca phlogina, a lichen with two facies; an example of in-fraspecific variability resulting in the description of a redundant species. The Lichenologist 42: 685–692. https://doi.org/10.1017/ S0024282910000435 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

68. Walter, F. J. 1985. The lichen genus Usnea subgenus Neuropogon. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Botany series 13: 1–130. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

69. Wirtz, N., Printzen, C., Sancho, L. G. & Lumbsch, H. T. 2006. The phylogeny and classification of Neuropogon and Usnea (Parme-liaceae, Ascomycota) revisited. Taxon 55: 367–376. https://doi. org/10.2307/25065584 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

70. Yang, Z. & Rannala, B. 2010. Bayesian species delimitation using multilocus sequence data. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107: 9264–9269. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0913022107 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

71. Zhao, X., Leavitt, S. D., Zhao, Z. T., Zhang, L. L., Arup, U., Grube, M. & Lumbsch, H. T. 2016. Towards a revised generic classification of lecanoroid lichens (Lecanoraceae, Ascomycota) based on molec-ular, morphological and chemical evidence. Fungal Diversity 78: 293–304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-015-0354-5 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

72. Zolan, M. E. & Pukkila, P. J. 1986. Inheritance of DNA methylation in Coprinus cinereus. Molecular and Cellular Biology 6: 195–200. https://doi.org/10.1128/mcb.6.1.195-200.1986 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Green Synthesis of Calcium Oxide Nanoparticles from Pigeon Eggshells for Cement Composites
• Needs Analysis: Development of an Interactive Digital Storybook in Teaching Mixtures and their Characteristics among Grade 6 Learners
• Thickness Dependent Structural, Optical, Electrical and Gas Sensing properties of ZnO thin film
• Forensic Chemistry Laboratory Works from Home: Challenges Encountered by Criminology Students During the Conduct of their Laboratory Activities at Home
• The Concept of Wellness Club and How it Differs from the Present Gym?